Oddsmakers have gone with probability in the line for Super Bowl 53 MVP. The top two picks are quarterbacks. New England’s Tom Brady is the favorite at even money, and Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff is next at 2/1.
Brady has won the award a record four times. In fact all multiple winners are quarterbacks. San Francisco’s Joe Montana won it three times. Pittsburgh’s Terry Bradshaw, New York Giants’ Eli Manning, and Green Bay’s Bart Starr won it twice.
Brady will be gunning for his sixth Super Bowl victory and fifth MVP award. It is his inner drive that keeps him pursuing excellence at 41.
“I think competitive and ability to compete has been great attribute for me. It started when I was young, and it’s really a part of my whole family. It’s definitely in my family’s DNA to compete and to win. I was always encouraged to do that.â€
QBs Gobble Up MVP
It’s not surprising that position has walked away with more than half of the Super Bowl MVP awards. There have been 53 honored, co-winners were announced in Super Bowl 12, and of that number 29 have been quarterbacks.
The next highest is running back at seven. Wide receivers have six.
The odds for running backs in Sunday’s game are very attractive. Los Angeles has two running backs that will be featured prominently. Todd Gurley is listed at 16/1, while teammate C.J. Anderson is at 20/1. Against Dallas in the Divisional Playoffs, Gurley rushed for 115 yards, while Anderson had 123. In the NFC Championship against New Orleans, the two were not utilized nearly as much the prior week. Anderson had 44 yards and Gurley just 10 yards.
There were rumors that Gurley was still nursing inflammation in his knee, an injury that caused him to miss the last two games of the regular season, but he insists he is ready to go.
“I’m good,†Gurley said. “If there was an issue on my knee, it would be on the injury report. Come on now. I’m at practice. I’m playing.â€
New England’s running back Sony Michel has been a force in the Patriots two playoff games. The rookie, who is listed at 16/1, rushed for 129 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers, and had 113 yards against the Chiefs.
Wide Receivers Close Behind
Though the wide receiver position has six MVP winners, the last pass catcher to win the honor was Pittsburgh’s Santonio Holmes in 2009.
That doesn’t mean the position should be ignored by bettors. With the emphasis on passing in the NFL, there are several players that could easily make enough of an impact to be name MVP.
The only time Brady didn’t win, his wide receiver Deion Branch walked away with the award in Super Bowl 39.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski has been a force for the Patriots, and at 40/1, is a player that should be looked at. So should Los Angeles receivers Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, both of whom are at 30/1.
Don’t Discount Defense
While the defense doesn’t get a lot of attention in this area, they have had their share of players get the award. In the last five Super Bowls, linebackers were named MVP.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald could definitely be in the mix. He is listed at 20/1.
But Donald would probably have to be on the winning side to get consideration. In the history of the award, only one player from the losing team was named MVP. That was Dallas Cowboy linebacker Chuck Howley in Super Bowl 5.
